It is the general objective of combines of the axial flow type to render them as universal as possible for purposes of harvesting a number of different types of crops somewhat widely varying in characteristics, size of the grain product, type of vines or stalks encountered by the feeding and threshing mechanism, as well as the type of crop cutting and consolidating mechanism which delivers the cut crops to the threshing means of the combine. The advent of axial flow type combines into the harvesting industry is of relatively recent vintage and there appear to be two principal types. One of these types comprises a single longitudinally extending rotor and cooperating threshing equipment in the machine. A typical example of this type of combine is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,443, dated Aug. 6, 1974, in the name of Drayer. A second type of axial flow combine comprises a pair of longitudinally extending rotors mounted in the machine and cooperable with stationary threshing means and typical examples of this type of combine are illustrated in the following patents:
______________________________________ 3,626,472 Rowland - Hill Dec. 7, 1971 3,648,710 Rowland - Hill March 14, 1972 3,742,686 Rowland - Hill July 3, 1973 3,848,609 Mortiner et al Nov. 19, 1974 ______________________________________
Incident to expanding the use of axial flow type combines, it has been found, frequently, that relatively small differences produce very substantial improvements and advantages over prior devices not including such changes. Examples of this are represented in the foregoing list of patents in which the instant applicant is either the sole inventor or a co-inventor with others.
It also can be appreciated that in providing a combine capable of handling efficiently and successfully a substantial variety of different types of crops ranging, for example, to corn harvested in stalk condition, soybeans, wheat and other similar grain crops, as well as rice, feeding of the same to the threshing mechanism provides substantial problems and the present invention effectively solves some of those problems and especially improves efficiency in the feeding capacity of the combine to a substantially greater extent than is possible with the mechanisms included in the prior art, including the above-listed patents. Details of such improvements are described hereinafter.